Joe Nichols @ TK I Love This Bar & Grill

Joe Nichols @ TK I Love This Bar & Grill , a set on Flickr.

“Why do you drink… to get drunk” and they did in Foxboro, MA for Joe Nichols!

My friend and I went early to grab some dinner at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill in Foxboro, MA. The food was pretty good though the experience wasn’t as wonderful for my 2nd visit. The spinach dip was cold and they sent my friend a Cowboy Burger rather than the Cabo Burger he ordered – to make right for the error, they gave him a free mason jar of beer, but as he drank he noticed inside the rim of his mason jar had very sharp and jagged edges. The staff was fabulous and made every effort to make up for the few mishaps. Apparently, the Cowboy Burger was delicious though, because my friend inhaled it in less than 5 minutes. I had the Turkey Melt, it was fulfilling, but I should have stuck with my original plan of ordering the American Soldier Burger – juicy and delicious.

Once we finished eating, we moved our way to be closer to the stage. The mass of people crammed up there was intimidating and I didn’t really want to fight our way to the front, so we stayed in the back near the DJ booth at the end of the guitar shaped bar. From the number of beers spilled (on me, my friend, the floor and others), large guys knocking us over to get through, small girls spinning and dancing with a drunken lack of steadiness, the couple that really needed to get a room (or at least move to a dark corner somewhere), well, it was an interesting experience, for sure. I go to shows to see the singer perform and these people immediately surrounding us were complete distractions. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed at them, but I’m there for the show and I am always astonished how drunk people get at a show they paid to attend…will they even remember any of the show? I just don’t comprehend this behavior. There should be a scientific study…wait, back to Joe…

At 10:45pm, Show-Dog Universal recording artist, Joe Nichols took to the stage singing What’s a Guy Gotta Do… this was my 4th time seeing Joe live and there are 3 things about Joe that always amaze me when I see him: 1. His performance is always dead-on. His voice is exactly what you hear on his recorded tracks. Though he excels singing traditional country, he transforms into the newer country style with ease as he works through his set list. There is a quality to his voice, he’s pure country yet has a soulful uniqueness. 2. After seeing him a few times, you’d think this wouldn’t faze me anymore, but he’s so much funnier than you expect. In photos, and a few of his songs, there is air of seriousness about him that just doesn’t exist live. He gets up there and is just so goofy and fun. He has become one of my “must-see” performers – meaning I’ll drive 2 hours just to see him. 3. He’s so darn hot. No explanation; he just is.

The crowd went insane. No really! There were bottles being thrown, people. I’ve never been to a Honky Tonk, but I imagine this was New England’s best attempt at one last night. Joe encouraged this by singing such songs as Family Tradition by Hank Williams, Jr and Let’s Get Drunk and Fight. I think my favorite part of the night is when he sings music that he grew up listening to and proceeds to sing a countrified version of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s I Like Big Butts.

He maintains a connection with the crowd and makes everyone feel like part of the party. He really seems to appreciate his fans for coming to the show and country radio for playing his music. Recognizing why the fans come to see him, he performed a collection of his old and new fan favorites: Cool to be a Fool, She Only Smokes When She Drinks, I’ll Wait for You, The Impossible, The Shape I’m In, Gimme That Girl, It Ain’t No Crime and Take it Off. The ultimate Joe Nichols fan favorite was his last song of the evening… Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off. The crowd does love this song… and as Joe said “what we see over the next 3 minutes stays here,” so I won’t mention any of the things I witnessed while that song played… let your imagination take over. Joe’s set ended about 12:15am and he was once again well worth the drive – Toby’s is about an hour and 15 minutes from where I live. Great show, great guy… if given the chance, you should see him… you won’t regret the good time you will have - even if you have to be to work at 7am.

Today, 1974...Olivia Newton-John went Gold!

Today, 1974...I was almost 3 and already a huge fan of Olivia Newton-John. The song that made her Gold today played a huge role in my 30+ years of admiration for Olivia.
She had a big, warm smile that would invite you to smile with her... She also reminded me a lot of my mother at that time. Both were blonde, large welcoming smiles and had a sense of calm that just enveloped you. I Honestly Love You was a raw, emotional track sang with an innocence that any age would relate.
I have followed her career and been comforted by her music through pretty much my entire life. In the 80s, I had a perm; I went to school one day and a guy in my Biology class called me "Sandy" - I was ever so flattered.
Her voice is angelic and she was such a natural beauty. In my early 20s, after her breast cancer diagnosis, I came to terms with the fact I'd never see her in concert, but a few years after moving to Boston I was blessed with the chance to see her. I was in Heaven and my eyes welled as she sang I Honestly Love You. her voice is raspier than earlier in her career and there is a maturity now that comes through expressing her trials over her life...yet, you can still hear a smile beneath each note.
She remade I Honestly Live you in 1998... if you listen to the two versions, see if you can hear it, too. After all these years, I Honestly Love You, Olivia... Thanks for always being there through ever heartbreak with your song.

Billy Currington & Kip Moore @ Hard Rock Cafe Boston

Boston’s Country 102.5 is in full swing with their annual Rockin’ Country Music Series. I randomly attended this series last year; I heard Joe Nichols would be performing at the Hard Rock Café in Boston. In my mind, that was amazing… someone as popular as Joe Nichols playing in such a small venue. I mean, I didn’t listen to country music/country radio regularly at all, but even I knew Joe Nichols – all proceeds were going to Fisher House Boston… a good cause, good music… I went. What a great place to see someone that you really enjoy. It holds around 250-300 people and you can stand right up to the stage. Heck, Joe even chatted with us along the front.

Fast forward to 2011, Country 102.5 is doing this Series again, but this year everything collected will be going to Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. Another fabulous cause and more great artists. The shows have been selling out which is great for the organization and the performers, but makes for a tight squeeze as drunk girls come in from behind trying to be seen by the "he's so cute" singer. I stand up front for photos, but the drunker girls get the more they are trying to move you out of their way – fortunately, I’m tall and can be a wall when I need to be, so no passing me. Tsk, tsk. My favorite last night was at some point during Billy Currington a girl, she had been trying to get up front for awhile, came up between me and another blonde woman to my left. This 3rd says “don’t worry it’s just me I’m back.” The girl next to me said “I’ve been standing next to this blonde here (me) all night. We got up here early; you didn’t… go to the back.” I was worried it would get interesting, but it remained relatively calm and the 3rd girl moved back.

Last night, Wednesday, October 5, 2011, they had Billy Currington and Kip Moore. Kip Moore opened the night – I have to admit, I was most excited to see him. I am not overly familiar with either of their music, but I really enjoyed attending these events last year and getting introduced to new singers early in their career. I want to like them and throw myself into supporting them. This is how I became a fan of James Wesley and David Nail. Kip Moore was equally outstanding.

Kip kept the crowd engaged through his set with tales he shared of his life in Southern Georgia and he knew when to throw out Boston references to keep our narcissistic town feeling involved (I say that with love – I yell every time, too). He mentioned that he is a major Celtics fan and I think he said Rondo is his favorite player – yes, Rondo is the man. As he told stories between each song, I noticed his southern drawl was just a joy to listen to – I originally come from the south and some speak really, really slow. But he had a nice flow, yet maintained the drawl. I enjoyed his tales. The biggest disappointment of the evening is that there were no CDs for sale. Fortunately, we can download his latest single, Something about a Truck, on iTunes. Oh, and he asked ever so politely that we harass our radio stations to play Something about a Truck. He sang his 1st single Mary is the Marrying Kind. Along in the mix, he played a number of catchy songs… I usually video tape at least one, but I had a large guy in front of me so that didn’t happen last night. Overall, I thought his songs were promising and his delivery was top notch. I am sure if he comes back I’ll be there supporting him. His debut CD should be released in January 2012 and if given the opportunity to see him live, do it!

As Billy Currington’s band was setting up, I noticed Scotty Emerick at the back of the stage. It took me a few moments to be confident that it was indeed him. I had just seen him perform with Toby Keith in Sept, so he was very fresh in my memory, though I was surprised he wasn’t more in the forefront. When Billy Currington took the stage, there were plenty of screams! The girls went wild. There was actually a push towards the front that took those of us up front off our feet. As he performed, I was amazed how many songs of his I knew. It was kind of a “hit after hit” performance. Just a few of the songs performed were Don’t, That’s How Country Boys Roll, Love Done Gone, I Got a Feeling, People are Crazy and Must Be Doin’ Something Right. My personal favorite is Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer… yes, he sang that, too! That song got me through losing my job briefly last summer and Love Done Gone recently got me through being dumped via text. So maybe I should buy more of his stuff… hmm. Anyway, Billy’s performance was solid and his passion for performing came through clearly. He performed as if he was in a stadium not just in a bar. He joked with the crowd and asked for people to yell out requests, though I’m not sure anyone did. My friend had gone to the bathroom and wasn’t able to get back up front with me so after seeing one woman removed as she nearly fainted from the heat… I went back and joined my friend. The music was superb and Billy put on one heck of a show! Would love to see him again.

Pictures will be loaded later. It was a late night and my early morning came too soon.

Blake Shelton @ The Big E

Blake Shelton @ The Big E, a set on Flickr.

It was a "windy and cold as crap" night at The Big E Saturday, October 1st... at least according to Blake Shelton.  He wasn't really a fan of our colder evening temps, but it didn't stop him from putting his heart and soul into his performance.  My friend and I had seen him back in July at the Comcast Center where he opened for Brad Paisley.  We both felt he was good enough to see again when he made this appearance at the largest fair in all of New England...

We arrived about an hour before showtime... ate some grub and then got in a line for the sold out show.  He came right out at 7:30pm and sang "All About Tonight."  He sang with a bit more passion last night than he did back in July.  You could see how cold he was as he would cringe when the wind would hit him, but it didn't effect his voice, his attitude nor his full on performance.  He brought it and got the crowd on their feet right away.

His set list included many of his hits... but by far the best night of the show, is when he explains why he's a "train wreck" and he covers songs by other artists.  He starts with Wild Cherry's Play That Funky Music... the song that his parents blast while their bedroom door is locked.  Then we go into his brother's song by J Geils Band, Centerfold.  He wraps this up with the song he hates the most... his sister's favorite tune from her youth, My Prerogative by Boston boy Bobby Brown.  Though the introductions to each song and the delivery hadn't changed much at all from show we saw previously, it was just as well-received by the crowd and we were still dancing and singing along as if it was our first time seeing this performance. He closed this section with one of his most loved songs Kiss My Country Ass.  The crowd sang along and threw fists in the air as they got pumped up and some were dancing in the aisles - despite requests of security to go back to their seats.

He only sang a few slow songs through the night, which I know I appreciate, which included Home, God Gave Me You, Who Are You When I'm Not Looking and Austin (his first #1 single).

He took a few sips out of his Black "red" cup and encouraged the crowd to drink with him as he sang The More I Drink.  Though Blake gets a lot of heat for posting "drunk" tweets and he claimed to be drunk earlier in the night... he didn't seem drunk at all and put on a solid show.  He tried to close the night out with Hillbilly Bone and the crowd was again singing along and dancing in the aisles... but that wasn't enough.  He was brought back to the stage and he sang Jerry Reed's Eastbound and Down.  It was a more passionate performance and I can't wait til 2012 when he headlines his own tour.  He is definitely going to be a great tour to catch.